


love keeps on calling me home

by thotsandfeelings



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, It's about the softness, Post-Series, sleepy josh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25793758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thotsandfeelings/pseuds/thotsandfeelings
Summary: “I’ll write a formal petition to the First Lady in the morning, but I’m declaring right now that you, Donnatella Moss-Lyman, are not allowed to leave the country again without your husband. Who is me, Joshua Lyman.”
Relationships: Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 10
Kudos: 129





	love keeps on calling me home

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from the song 'If My Heart Had Wings' by Faith Hill :)

Donna sighs heavily as she makes her way up the stairs to their apartment. Her feet make a *thud* as they heavily hit the landing and she murmurs a hello to the agent on duty outside the door.

“How was he, Ben?”

“Very well-behaved.”

Donna puffs out a laugh. “Did he slip you a $20 to tell me that?”

The agent’s lip quirks. “$50.”

”Your price has gone up, I see. Good for you.”

”Gotta make a living somehow.” 

Donna just shakes her head. “I brought back some of the good coffee from the place, so I'll see you at shift change.” She smiles over at him. "Goodnight. And thank you for keeping my rowdy husband alive." 

Ben chuckles a little and says his goodnights, shutting the door behind her.

Once inside, Donna kicks her shoes off as a yawn wracks through her body and she lumbers into the kitchen for a glass of water. She’s back from a trip to Canada with the First Lady and she’s absolutely exhausted. She chugs a full glass of water and then refills it, taking it with her as she heads to the bedroom. 

Donna tiptoes through the door and finds her husband sprawled across her side of the bed and she smiles fondly. She sets the glass of water on the dresser as she makes her way into the walk-in closet, closing the door a little to block the light from hitting the bed as she sheds her clothes and jewelry. She sees a discarded shirt on the floor, so she throws it on, the smell of him instantly surrounding her, and turns the light back out, stumbling a little as she finally climbs into bed.

“Hi,” Josh groans, rolling over on his stomach to pull Donna under the covers and into his side. He burrows into her pillow and tugs on her bare leg to hitch it over his back, throwing his arm securely around her. She feels him sigh happily when he’s finally got himself wrapped up in her the way he wants.

"Hi. I heard you were naughty."

"Ben is a traitor," he mumbles as she snickers at him softly. “I'm firing him tomorrow after I get my 50 bucks back. Or later today, I guess. What time is it?”

“Almost 3,” she whispers, kissing his mouth softly. “Go back to sleep.”

“I missed you. You're not allowed to leave me again.”

Donna brushes his wild hair off of his forehead. “I missed you too, sweets.” 

“Seriously,” he mumbles into her neck. He kisses the sensitive skin there and she jolts a little, feeling his two day old scruff tickling her. “I’ll write a formal petition to the First Lady in the morning, but I’m declaring right now that you, Donnatella Moss-Lyman, are not allowed to leave the country again without your husband. Who is me, Joshua Lyman.” 

“This rule only applies to international travel, then? I’m still _allowed_ on the week long California trip in June?” She can tease him now that she’s back in their marital bed, but she understands his frustration at being apart all too well. Plus, he’s always adorably indignant when he’s sleepy.

“No,” he growls and tugs her even closer. “No more leaving me internationally _or_ domestically." His brow furrows. "Or, you know, in divorce,” he throws in as an afterthought.

Donna snorts. “Well, I can agree to the no divorce, but I'm sorry to say your other conditions just aren't sustainable," she says softly. She sneaks a hand underneath the back of his shirt and skates her nails up and down his spine in a way she knows will have him back to sleep in 2 minutes flat. (She’s timed it.) “Besides, despite your belief, you’re actually not that powerful. Even the President couldn’t declare a rule like that.”

 _Though,_ Donna thinks, _he’d probably be open to the idea if the way Helen tore off the plane like a banshee and fled to the Residence as soon as they had landed on the tarmac was any indication_. 

They had been gone for five days, which might not seem like that long, but it was the longest she’d been away from Josh since they got married six months ago. She'd missed him terribly, especially the past couple days. He'd call her every night and she would lay on the too big hotel bed, listening to him tell her a story about Lou and a pair of blue underwear, wishing with her entire being that her heart could sprout wings and fly to him, where it belongs. She doesn't even wanna think about the two week long trip he and President have to go on next month. She knows she’ll want this rule instated for him by then, too.

“’M powerful," Josh grumbles against her skin, his ego never resting despite his eyes drooping heavily with sleep.

She looks at him, with his mouth slightly open and some dried drool on his chin. She laughs internally. If only Washington could see their big and bad Chief of Staff now.

“You’re very powerful,” she murmurs soothingly, still running her fingers up and down his back. “And also incredibly handsome.”

”Damn straight.”

His dimple flashes as she veers farther north, scratching at his scalp and behind his ear and she gets the desired response she was hoping for when Josh starts purring under her gentle touch. 

“I’m glad you’re home,” he whispers after a moment.

Donna only hums and leans over to kiss the side of his mouth. “Me, too. Go to sleep. ”

Josh fights through his thick fog of unconsciousness long enough to kiss her goodnight properly. He lets his hand sweep up and settle into her long blonde hair, a couple strands getting caught on the silver band around his ring finger. 

“Love you,” he mutters, snuggling in and finally letting sleep draw him back under.

Donna just keeps running her fingers up and down their path across Josh’s back, letting the motion and the feel of his heartbeat lull her into sweet oblivion. 

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I took up a challenge of posting a fic a day? Just gonna keep rolling with it.


End file.
